500 Norfolk locations join the Refill Revolution and offer free water refills, and more

Norfolk residents and visitors can now top up their reusable water bottles for free at more than 500 locations across the county. Many locations also refill reusable coffee cups, lunch containers and groceries too.

Norfolk County Council has joined the award-winning Refill campaign which connects people to places they can eat, drink and shop without the pointless packaging. By downloading the free Refill app it's possible to discover the hundreds of locations across Norfolk where they can reuse and refill in their local area.

Cllr Andrew Jamieson, Deputy Leader of Norfolk County Council and Chairman of The Norfolk Coast Partnership said: "Packaging from take-away food and drinks is a major threat in the fight against plastic pollution and items like coffee cups and take-away containers are consistently in the top 10 items found on beaches around the world.  

"By choosing reusable products we can reduce waste and ultimately reduce our carbon footprint and help us take one step closer to building a more sustainable and resilient Norfolk."

To celebrate World Refill Day (16 June) community organisation Refill Gorleston, Norfolk County Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Norfolk Recycles will be holding a promotional event at Market Gates Shopping Centre, Great Yarmouth, packed with activities including the Litter Arcade, Say it With Stitch Crafts and Refill prize giveaway. The event is part of the Great Big Green Week activities organised by Precious Plastic East, We Wear The Trousers and Say It With Stitch GY. The event runs from 1-5pm.

Genevieve Rudd from Refill Gorleston said "This event will showcase the grassroots sustainability projects active in the Great Yarmouth area and we're so pleased to be part of it. As Refill Gorleston-on-sea, we promote ditching single-use plastics and waste, to live in more eco-friendly way. Our initiative is part of the global Refill movement. We hope people can join us in celebrating World Refill Day and the National Big Green Week. There will be activities to take part in, information about local schemes and friendly folks to chat to."

Natalie Fee, founder of City to Sea, the organisation which is the driving force behind Refill said: "We're on a mission to make living with less plastic easier and we want to see a world where everyone can choose to reuse wherever they shop, eat and drink. We've already proven that Refill has the power to create a wave of change needed to keep plastic bottles out of our ocean. But we knew the problem was much bigger than plastic bottles! So we launched the world's first dedicated app to help people find locations to reuse and refill, putting the power to stop plastic pollution at your finger tips and helping you live without the pointless packaging."

For any local businesses wanting to get involved, contact info@waste.norfolk.gov.uk. You can also add your business on the app yourself for free.

Find out more about Refill Norfolk and how you can get involved on the Norfolk recycles website. 

Download the free Refill app and visit the Refill website to find out more about the Refill Revolution.